This Week in Christian History: Boys Town, Martin Luther burns papal decree, ‘Silent Night’

Father Flanagan founds Boys Town - December 12, 1917

This week marks the anniversary of when Father Edward Flanagan opened a home for troubled and neglected children in Omaha, Nebraska named “Boys Town.”

A native of Ireland, Father Flanagan had previously overseen a home in Omaha for impoverished men, known as the Workingmen’s Hotel.

“The location of what would become known as “Boys Town” rapidly filled up with the arrival of additional children,” noted History.com.

“Many were sent by local courts, others were referred to the home by citizens, and some wandered off the streets and through the home’s unlocked doors on their own accord.”